The Executioner

Shalom Nagar sprung the gallows under Adolf Eichmann over 40 years ago. To this day the scene plays itself over and over in minute detail.

For years, the details of arch-Nazi Eichmann's hanging by the State of Israel was shrouded in secrecy -- from his being given his last glass of wine, to the noose being placed around his neck, to his lifeless body being incinerated in a specially-designed oven and his ashes spread over the sea outside Israel's territorial waters.

Most of those involved in Israel's first and only execution in 1962 are no longer living. But Nagar was "discovered" 12 years ago, when an Israeli radio station wanted to produce a 30th anniversary program of Eichmann's capture and hanging. After sifting through prison records and following tips from former prison employees, Nagar, "the short Yemenite guard" as he was remembered, was located and asked to reveal the memories he had stored away for so many years. At the time, Shalom Nagar, having retired from the Prisons Services, was living in Kiryat Arba and learning in kollel from dawn to midnight.

"For years, I was sworn to secrecy. My commanders feared reprisals from neo-Nazis and others who thought Eichmann was a hero. But Isser Harel, the Mossad chief in charge of Eichmann's capture in Argentina, had already written a book about it, so what did I have to fear? Besides, I was involved in the great mitzvah of wiping out Amalek." (Amalek is the implacable enemy of the Jews: the one who tried to kill our forefather Jacob, the nation that attacked the Israelites on their departure from Egypt, the nation from which Haman descended, and according to various sources, the spiritual
ancestor of the German Nazi machine.)

Eichmann, the engineer and supervisor of Hitler's "Final Solution," shared the primary responsibility for the systematic murder of six million Jews.

Eichmann, the engineer and supervisor of Hitler's "Final Solution," shared the primary responsibility for the systematic murder of six million Jews in the Holocaust. After the war he went into hiding to avoid the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials, and then made his way to Argentina, where he lived in relative security with his wife and four children, as an anonymous manager of a laundromat. For years the Mossad was on his tail, and in 1961 he was captured and hauled off to Israel to stand trial for genocide.

The trial, which publicly rehashed the horrors that the Nazis perpetrated against the Jews, elicited a torrential emotional response in Israel and around the world. Repressed memories burst forth into the standing-room-only courtroom. People screamed, cried, and tried to attack and kill Eichmann, who was ensconced during the proceedings in a bulletproof glass box.

On December 13, 1961, he was sentenced to death by hanging. Following the rejection of an appeal to the Supreme Court for clemency, he was executed close to midnight on May 31, 1962. The following morning, a one-line announcement of his hanging was broadcast on Kol Yisrael. Although the trial was in the spotlight for nearly a year, the details of his incarceration and of the execution itself would only be revealed decades later by his executioner, Shalom Nagar.

Shalom Nagar recalls the events that led up to that fateful night. "I was working as a guard for the Prisons Services then, after finishing the army and working for the Border Police. At first, Eichmann was brought to a prison in Yagur outside of Haifa. He was transferred to Ramle Prison, where I worked, for the last six months of his life.

"We were a unit of 22 guards, known as the 'Eichmann guards,' carefully selected to make sure that we had no revenge motives. After all, it was only 16 years after the Holocaust, and many prison employees had either gone through the camps or had lost family. They were disqualified. Eichmann's 'apartment,' as we called it, was in a special wing on the second floor, but no Ashkenazi guards were allowed up. There were five rooms, one overlooking the other.

"For six months I guarded him, facing his cell in the innermost room, standing in close proximity where he rested, wrote his memoirs, ate, and used the facilities. He was extremely clean, and washed his hands compulsively. One reason for our careful supervision was that he might have wanted to take his own life, and we were to prevent that at all costs. Outside of my room was another room overlooking it, with a guard who watched over both me and Eichmann. In the next room was the duty officer, who guarded all of us. And the last room is where we rested during shift changes.

"Food was brought in, in locked containers to prevent any attempt at poisoning. Still, before I gave him his meal, I had to taste it myself. If I didn't drop dead after two minutes, the duty officer allowed the plate into his cell.

"There were guards who had numbers on their arms, but they weren't allowed onto the second floor. However, before we were clear about this rule, one guard from downstairs, Blumenfeld, who had survived the camps, asked if he could switch with me one night. I assumed he just wanted to get a look at the man who destroyed his family. Anyway, we were all in the same unit, so I figured -- why not? Blumenfeld approached the door of the cell and rolled up his sleeve. 'Once I was in your hands, and now the tables have turned. Look who has the last laugh.' It was the middle of the night, and Eichmann jumped up from his bed and started ranting in German. I, of course, couldn't follow the conversation, but from then on we had clear instructions: No switching or we'd get court-martialed."

THE HUNT AND THE CAPTURE

Adolph Eichmann was born in 1906 in Solingen, Germany. His family moved to Austria and he joined the Austrian Nazi Party in 1932. In 1939 he headed the "Jewish desk" of the Gestapo and spent the next six years implementing Hitler's "Final Solution," perfecting the murderous efficiency of the death camps and gas chambers. After the war, he managed to hide out in Europe until 1950, when he escaped to Argentina. He sent for his wife and children two years later.

In 1957, the Mossad got a tip that Eichmann was alive and living in Buenos Aires under an alias. The hunt was on; it lasted four years.

His whereabouts were hidden for years. But in 1957, the Mossad got a tip that Eichmann was alive and living in Buenos Aires under an alias. The hunt was on; it lasted four years. Mossad leader Isser Harel was determined to capture him, but not kill him. He wanted him brought to justice in front of the Jewish people. The investigation moved slowly and carefully.

"The investigators couldn't risk the danger that their prey would learn he was being followed. Even more difficult was the necessity of identifying their man beyond the shadow of a doubt. The only thing worse than losing the real Eichmann would be capturing the wrong one," wrote Harel in his book, The House on Garibaldi Street.

But Eichmann had destroyed all evidence of his former identity. He'd even cut away the tattoo that all SS men had under their left armpit. There were no fingerprints, just some blurry photos from before the war. In 1959, the Israelis discovered that Eichmann had changed his name to Ricardo Klement. But one son still used the original family name, and his trail led the agents to Garibaldi Street in Buenos Aires. For weeks, they surveyed the house and the bespectacled man who lived there. They felt certain it was Eichmann, but they needed proof. The proof came on March 21,1960, as Ricardo Klement walked toward his home with a bouquet, giving it to a woman at the door. The children were dressed festively. March 21 was Eichmann's silver wedding anniversary.

The Mossad flew into action. The kidnapping had to be perfectly planned; there must be not hint that over 30 Mossad operatives were flying into Argentina. As Harel well knew, Israel would be violating Argentina's sovereignty by kidnapping Eichmann and taking him out of the country. The night of the kidnapping, two Mossad operatives parked on Eichmann's street and began tinkering with their car. Another car, with other agents, was parked behind them. As Eichmann approached them coming off the bus from work, the agents pounced on him, gagged him, and bundled him off in one of the cars. Harel guessed that his family would not report him missing, since this might reveal something about his previous Nazi past. His family did call hospitals, but avoided the police. They did call their Nazi friends -- dozens had taken refuge in Argentina -- but no one helped. Instead, they scattered, fearing that Israel's far-flung net would catch them too.

The Mossad had him, but now they had to get him out of the country without arousing suspicion. They dressed him in an El Al uniform, and in a drugged stupor, led him onto the plane. His identity was supposedly that of an El Al employee who had suffered a head injury and was now sufficiently recuperated to be able to fly back home. One of their own agents was hospitalized in order to procure the proper forms. True to his compulsively efficient, detail-oriented nature, Eichmann cooperated fully with his captors, even reminding them that they had forgotten to put on his airline jacket. "That will arouse suspicion," Eichmann lectured them, "for I will be conspicuously different from the other crew members who are fully dressed."

Eichmann's appeal to the Supreme Court, on the grounds that he was merely carrying out orders of the Reich and had no personal interest in killing Jews, was rejected, as was his appeal for clemency. As the execution day drew near, the Prisons Service approached several employees who had no personal account with the Nazi. Someone had to carry out the sentence. Nagar, a former paratrooper and decorated soldier who was an orphan in Yemen during World War II, was approached by Avraham Merchavi, the Head Warden.

"I said maybe he should find someone else to do the job. Then Merchavi took me and several other guards and showed us the footage of how the Nazis took innocent children and tore them to pieces. I was so shaken that I agreed to whatever had to be done."

At the same time, a man named Pinchas Zeklikovsky was summoned by the police for a special mission. Zeklikovsky, whose family was wiped out by the Nazis, worked for an oven factory in Petach Tikvah and was an expert oven builder. He was asked to build an oven the size of a man's body, which would reach 1,800°C. He worked on the oven in the factory, telling inquirers that it was a special order for a factory in Eilat that burned fish bones. On the afternoon of May 31, 1962, after the other workers left, an army truck rolled into the oven factory and loaded on the oven. Under heavy guard, the oven made its way to Ramle Prison.

The world knew that Eichmann's days were limited, but his hanging was made public only after the fact. All the preparations were done secretly, for fear of sabotage by Eichmann supporters. Streets around the prison were cordoned off for several blocks that afternoon.

Meanwhile, that same day, Shalom Nagar was on a 48-hour furlough. He was walking with his wife, Orah, and infant son in his Holon neighborhood when a police van screeched to a halt in front of him and pulled him inside. It was Merchavi. Nagar knew immediately what this special invitation was about.

"I realized I had won the 'lottery.' But I told him, 'You now have a problem, because although you want the hanging kept top secret, my wife thinks I've been kidnapped. She'll call the police.' He agreed, and the car made a quick reverse, so I could explain to my wife that this was my commanding officer and that I'd be working late. We arrived at Ramle Prison, and I was given a stretcher, some sheets and bandages, and was told to go and wait downstairs. Meanwhile upstairs, Eichmann was with the priest, and was given a glass of wine. By the time I was summoned, the noose was already around his neck and he was standing on a specially-made trapdoor which would open under him when I would pull the lever."

According to an official account, there were supposedly two people who would pull the lever simultaneously, so neither would know for sure by whose hand Eichmann died. But Nagar says he knows nothing about that. "I didn't see anyone else there. It was just me and Eichmann. I was standing a few feet from him, and looked him straight in the eye. He refused to have his face covered, and he was still wearing those trademark checkered slippers. Then I pulled the lever and he fell, dangling by the rope."

For years I had nightmares of those moments. His face was white as chalk, his eyes were bulging and his tongue was dangling out.

After an hour, Nagar and Merchavi went downstairs to release the body. A scaffold had been built in order to reach him -- to take him off the gallows.

"Merchavi told me to climb the scaffold and lift him, and then he would loosen the rope. For years I had nightmares of those moments. His face was white as chalk, his eyes were bulging and his tongue was dangling out. The rope rubbed the skin off his neck, and his tongue and chest were covered with blood. I didn't know that when a person is strangled all the air remains in his stomach. So when I lifted him, all the air that was inside came out and the most horrifying sound was released from his mouth -- 'baaaaa' -- I felt the Angel of Death had come to take me too. Finally a few other guards arrived and we managed to get him onto the stretcher we had prepared earlier.

"We took him to the other side of the courtyard, where the oven was waiting. One of the guards, his name was Luchs and he had been in Auschwitz, was given the job of heating the oven. The oven was so hot it was impossible to get too close. So they'd built tracks so that the stretcher could slide into it. It was my job to push the stretcher into the oven, but I was shaking so hard that the body kept rolling from side to side. Finally, I was able to push him in and we closed the doors."

Nagar was slated to escort the ashes to the port, but he was in such a state of trauma that Merchavi had him sent home with an escort. In the very early hours of the morning, the ashes were removed from the oven and transported by police van to Jaffa Port, where a Coast Guard boat carried them beyond Israel's territorial waters, so that they would not defile the Holy Land.

"Over four decades have now passed since the Eichmann execution," Nagar says, "and in spite of all the trauma, today I understand the great merit I was given. God commands us to wipe out Amalek, and 'not to forget.' I have fulfilled both."

Visitor Comments: 40

(38)
David,
February 20, 2015 10:20 PM

Eichmann and the muslim butchers.

I have read extensively about the Holocaust, and am only sorry that Eichmann lived so long. He was a demented monster. Now we see the same demons return in the form of ISIS and other Muslim barbarians. It is my fervent wish that they all suffer the same fate, or something worse. In any event, there will be a day of judgment for all to face.

(37)
Wendy Beth,
January 17, 2015 6:44 PM

Thank you, Mr. Nagar.

You said, " I understand the great merit I was given. God commands us to wipe out Amalek, and 'not to forget.' I have fulfilled both."

It's true, Mr. Nagar.

I'm sorry that the memory haunts you. May you live and your family live very long, peaceful, and rich lives under the protection of G-d.

(36)
Abraham Eliya,
June 19, 2014 1:30 PM

is death of one soul the paymemt for three milion souls ?

I wish there was a heavier sentence why not public execution for the world to see. what penalty should one pay for butchering inocent men, women, children including babies and infants. Death penalty is not enough.

(35)
Heather Czerniak,
May 23, 2014 8:00 AM

Eichmann's execution was necessary.

Given the barbaric nature of his crimes and the fact that he committed those crimes without hesitation or regard to the suffering of his victims, it was necessary to rid the world of him. It is never easy for a humane, civilized person to take another's life, but justice must be served. The world knew of his crimes. Thirteen million souls were now at peace. It is for them that justice was done.

(34)
Kenan Moss,
December 23, 2013 3:03 PM

On reflection

I remember the Eichmann trial. At the time I thought that it was wrong to execute him. To try him? Yes, so that the world would know what he and his ilk had done: not just to us but, those non-Jews who will forever share Yom Hashoah with us. However, to execute him was to be like him. Today, I am not sure. Perhaps, to let him live, identified to the whole world for what he was: the always and ever pariah would have been far more cruel and inhuman.

(33)
Phil,
November 28, 2013 6:24 PM

Justice or Retribution?

...and such was his death. Was he a monster? Yes, without question. Was he sorry at the end for his crimes, or just that he was being hanged? Who knows? But what was accomplished? History was not changed. The dead did not walk again and their familys still grieve. Are we still so savage as to demand death for death? Eichmann confined to a bare cell surrounded by pictures of his concentration camp victims poor dead bodies? Perhaps in time he would have seen his sins and begged forgiveness. Would this have not been a greater act?

(32)
NANCY G. ELLISON,
July 8, 2013 4:57 PM

NAZI CRIMINALS

I REMEMBER WHEN THIS HAPPENED AND I COULDN'T BELIEVE THE MONSTER HAD BEEN CAUGHT AND TAKEN TO ISRAEL, PUT ON TRIAL, AND FINALLY HANGED. NO MATTER HOW OLD THE NAZI CRIMINAL IS, THEY STILL NEED TO PAY WITH THEIR LIVES. THEIR AGE DOES NOT DIMINISH THEIR CRIMES.

(31)
H.E.Brown,
August 4, 2012 2:04 AM

Eichmann & The Like

Great info. It is amazing how few people care about what happend during the war years and to the Jewish people. Helps to impress upon us (me) that it will all catch up to us ( me) that one day a reckoning will be required. If we all could follow the first two commandments there wouldn't any problems.

Ranjith,
July 1, 2013 8:35 AM

Keep on looking for the rest of the Nazis

I sometimes see in my head the killing of innocent Jews by the Nazis. How can one kill innocent men women and children in a well thought of calculated manner is beyond me. Eichmann got what he well deserved. The world should not stop looking for the rest of these criminals no matter how long it takes and if the criminals are not living still record their escapes and publish their criminal past.

(30)
Sol Blum,
June 4, 2012 7:02 PM

Great article! very well wrtitten. Would you know the first name of this Blumenfeld guard?

(29)
Kris,
May 28, 2012 3:16 AM

Not enough Nazi criminals were caught

Eichmann was not the only one hiding out in Argentina-Josef Mengele was too and God knows he should have been captured and tried and executed. It boggles my mind on the number of ignorant, enabling, and un-educated persons that were protecting these criminals, such as ODESSA. No one responsible for a genocide and the killing and torture of anyone should have been protected. I understand times were different back then but had large rewards been offered for these Nazi criminals perhaps more would have been turned in. I cannot imagine how these people were able to go home to their families and children after committing atrocities like this. Today, we still tolerate genocide and ruthless dictators like Kim Jong and Pol Pot of Cambodia, who had about half of his population murdered. Nothing has happened to these sociopaths-both died of natural causes at an old age. Complete evil should not be tolerated by this world. If there are any Nazi war criminals alive we should still take them down=never too late for justice as long as theyre alive.

(28)
bernie wolfe,
May 23, 2012 3:11 PM

eichman

What he got was not enough to compensate for the unspeakable. Attrocities that he committed. May his Soul rot in the bowels of Hell.

Stephan,
September 17, 2013 10:17 PM

I agree entirely

Myself and my partner are visiting auschwitz as I type this comment and all I can add is pure sorrow and pity for the murdered people, less than seventy years have passed since this atrocity and please god may the murdered rest in peace, god bless

(27)
Stephen,
September 10, 2011 1:02 PM

Worse than death?

Eichmann actually disobeyed Himmler's order to cease the killing when that order was issued towards the end of the war.He continued rounding up and transporting innocent men, women and children to their deaths. Hence Eichmann's defence that he "was only obeying orders" can stand no scrutiny.
I wonder whether he should have been kept alive to spend the rest of his natural life in a bleak and sparse prison in solitary confinement. This may have been a worse punishment than death. Moreover, it may have enabled the rest of the world to learn more about such men and their psychology. Perhaps in time, he may have revealed the whereabouts of Mengele - another degenerate who escaped justice.

(26)
sanjosemike,
March 23, 2011 3:28 PM

What the Argentinians knew...

It has more recently been revealed that the Argentina authorities were very much aware of the "kidnapping" and capture of Eichmann, all throughout the process.
They could have stopped it at any time, but consciously made the decision not to. Later on they made a big "stink" about its "legality." But Eichmann was not actually in Argentina legally, as he had lied and used a fake name to get in (Recardo Klement).
Eventually the furor melted away and Argentina stopped making "noises" about the "Kidnapping."
My guess is that ben Gurion made real efforts to "smooth" things over with them, and probably promised that a similar action would not happen again.
I also feel that the Argentinians were glad to be rid of Eichmann...anyway.
sanjosemike

(25)
Anonymous,
February 10, 2011 6:36 PM

Eichmann in Vienna

Maybe if those involved in his trials would have exprienced the fear and horror he exuded in Vienna and seen for one Reichsautobahn trailers leaving Lodz for Treblinka and smelled the crematoria of Buchenwald the fear may have been eased. Nevertheless I would not have liked to be the one to release the trap door. He was a beast with human features .

(24)
Rod,
February 8, 2011 7:36 PM

Never forget

It is scary to think that the majority of these monsters came from apparently normal backgrounds and families. We should not forget that the germs of evil act to collectively degenerate human beings as easily as it happened in nazi Germany. We need to safekeep our laws and systems to minimize these horrors from happening. Unfortunately, they continue to sporadically happen (the Balkans, Africa, Iraq, etc.). Continuous education and vigilance are most important.

(23)
Bill,
January 28, 2011 2:46 AM

Holocaust II

We look back on the Holocaust as a terrible tragedy and affront to God and the human race—and rightly so. However, very few people outside of Israel seem to realize that a second Holocaust is brewing in the Middle East, with the Muslim nations arrayed against Israel and determined to annihilate her and her people. May God have mercy upon Yisrael.

(22)
Sheila Hamilton,
August 9, 2010 9:00 PM

Despicable Nazi of World War II

I am in my late 50's and I can not yet understand how inhumane Hitler and his crew of Nazis behaved - I can not understand how they got away with mass killings for so long? What did Jewish people ever do to deserve such unspeakable suffering? Brave brave people....

(21)
Stanley Gamero,
November 7, 2009 2:03 AM

Eichman's Execution

I'll put this at the impersonal level. At his trial and execution, Eichman represented all the evils of Nazism perpetrated against defenseless men, women and children. The judges and prosecutors represented the innocent victims implementing justice.

(20)
Ashley,
February 15, 2009 1:51 PM

The Life ,Trial , and Death of Adolf Eichmann

I'm part Jewish and my teacher told me to do a repor on him so I did. It brought me to cry when I read about the things he did. sometime I say to myself wow that could have been me or one of my old family members.

(19)
Zachary,
December 7, 2008 9:22 PM

Eichmann

I am doing a project about eichmann. different websites portray him as a bad guy or just a man who was doing what he had to do to make money.indirectly yet intentionally sending at least 6 million people, jewish or not, to their deaths is unnaceptable. hes gonna burn in hell:)

(18)
Paul,
December 27, 2007 10:05 PM

Bringing Eichmann to Justice

I remember watching the trial on television, I was around 10. I will never forget watching his face as he heard the horrible testimony. He was impervious except for a nervous twitch. And I remember when the news of his execution came out. I still felt a twinge of compassion, but I also felt safer that I lived in a world where a murderer could not feel safe, not even hiding in Argentina.

(17)
Sidney Harding,
November 26, 2007 5:25 PM

Visited Auschwitz

I have only this year 2007 been able to visit Auschwitz, and having been there I am glad Eichmann was executed. It was only after leaving Poland I learned my partners Father perished at Auschwitz what a brave woman!

(16)
Jan Morup,
July 26, 2007 8:18 PM

Duty sometimes calls on good men to do harsh deeds. Good for you for killing that monster. Jan Morup

(15)
Dallas Cheked,
November 7, 2005 12:00 AM

Evil Meets Its Match

I generally avoid poking fun at death or any of the morbid aspects of it,however, I make a few exceptions when it comes to subhuman species like Eichmann, Himmler, Mengele, Goehring, and the like. I really got a good hearty laugh about the belch that Eichmann's dead body let out as it was being removed from the gallows with a resounding "baaah". That really put the "exclamation point" on the fact that Karl Adolf Eichmann was one of the filthiest dirty rotten pigs to ever walk God's green earth. Even sounded like one in the end.
The world is at least a little better without Eichmann breathing our air and using our resources. Hopefully those Nazi war criminals who evaded justice and might still be alive will succumb to old age in the very near future, naking this world a little better yet.

(14)
Merlock,
May 24, 2005 12:00 AM

This is a Very Meaningful Article

It may be a Divine duty to kill this evil man, but that doesn't mean the executioner has to be heartless. God bless you all.

(13)
R Fox,
May 22, 2005 12:00 AM

Justice at last

I was extremely interested in this information, as history is one of my new-found passions. However, it was also very gratifying to read the story of the execution of one of the most heinous men who came out of WWII. Eichmann was instrumental in setting up the concentration camp method of ridding Europe of Jews. His outrageous claim that he was only a small cog in a huge machine was rejected by the court who sentenced him. He was directly responsible for 6 million deaths! I only regret that Mengele was not found and captured, as well. I believe that what the Israeli Secret Service did by capturing Eichmann, transporting him from Argentina, and bringing him to justice in Israel was not only miraculous, it was marvelous!

I have always wanted to ask this question: If the Nazis were so convinced that their deeds were just and correct, then why did so many, like Eichmann and Mengele escape to places where they could be relatively safe? Justice was definitely served by pulling that lever to send Eichmann to his doom.

(12)
Anonymous,
May 17, 2005 12:00 AM

I enjoyed reading the Eichman excerpt. Thank you for the wonderful
anecdote.

(11)
Nedd K.,
May 12, 2005 12:00 AM

That was an amazing piece, folks, probably the most riveting piece I've read from Aish. I never heard of anything like this happening in Israel. You should probably do a movie on this one. The suspense had me captured from start to finish.

Regards,

Nedd K.

(10)
Anonymous,
May 5, 2005 12:00 AM

Wow, this is an amazing article. It's good to read such things and remember how horrible the Nazis were, and how noone escapes punishment, because it is two generations later already, and many of the survivors are fading away. Someone has got to remember,as you said in the article,we must "wipe out Amalek", and "we must not forget".

Also, some who did not go through the horrors of the camps might think this sounds like a horrible punishment--hanged, and then incarcerated--it sounds horrifying. But Nagar tells us in the article,'G-d commands us to wipe out Amalek and not forget. I have fulfilled both'. When I remember that this is what G-d wants us to do, I know this is not bad. This is G-d's will. This is good.

(9)
Menashe Kaltmann,
May 4, 2005 12:00 AM

Interesting story - unfortunately his assistant got away

A very interesting story! Thank you aish.com for publishing it.

Unfortunately Eichmann's trusted assistant the evil Alois Brunner got away without being arrested.
Living under an alias Brunner found refuge in Damascus, Syria and was even interviewed by newspaper journalists in the late 1990's. Even as an old man Brunner desribed his greatest achievement as the killing of innocent Jews.

I think a film has been written about this evil man Alois Brunner.

Brunner was responsible for deporting ~170,000 Jewish people from Salonika, France and Slovakia. Unfortunately in 1944 My Dad (ad 120) and his parents and his sister and brother were deported from Bratislava, (Czecho)Slovakia by Brunner and his evil Nazi German henchmen.

Only my Dad (ad 120!) survived.

Even today the few who survived have nightmares about this cold heartless and ruthless individual Alois Brunner - Eichmann's most trusted deputy. Even in the closing stages of World War 2 when Germany's defeat was imminent Eichmann and Brunner pushed for the massacre of innocent Jewish people and others.

May Hashem bless all of us with true peace the coming of Moshiach speedily in our days!

(8)
Tova Saul,
May 3, 2005 12:00 AM

Facinating

Recently, I was walking up Hillel St. and a man in his 80's approached a young woman and asked a question. She shook her head no. He then came to me and asked, "Where is the street where Eichman was hanged?" To my astonishment, I had no idea where he was hanged, and was suddenly curious to know all the details. Thank you for this facinating aticle. I only wish I had a chance to tell this gentleman that he was hanged in Ramle.

(7)
Yaacov,
May 3, 2005 12:00 AM

horrifyingly poignant!

I was able to "relive" Nagar's task, somewhat. Holy disgust enterred my guts! Thank you for giving me a part in his Mitzvah.

(6)
Anonymous,
May 3, 2005 12:00 AM

Eichmann, my mother's ghost

I am compelled to read about the demise of Eichmann - and yet sickened when I do as he was like a ghost in my house growing up. My mother was in forced labor in the Seimenns Electric factory in Berlin when SS men came and took her to the office of Adolph Eichmann. She only described it as having gone on trial before him. She described only of that "trial" a scene of great humiliation in front of laughing and entertained (by her humiliation) SS men and Eichmann. I do not know all that took place but it is I understand a miracle that she was released back to the factory at some point. The scene of the courtroom is how I remember my home during Eichmann's trial. Thank you for this facinating article and for yet again reminding me how proud I am to be a Jew.

(5)
Aleks,
May 2, 2005 12:00 AM

Wow

That was an amazing article. I never really knew the story behind the execution of Eichmann, but I am very grateful for having learned about such an important event in such detail. Thank you for writing such an informative piece.

(4)
Tzivie,
May 2, 2005 12:00 AM

revenge at last!

Shalom Nagar is one brave man you could be sure! Even though we all hate them with a passion,those nazi amalekis, and we know what a great mitzvah it is to destroy them, actually doing it and carrying it our is another thing entirely. We always want to leave that kind of work for the next person. So kol hakovod to Sholom Neger for the great courage it took not to back out.

And Rachel ginsburg did a great job depicting the scene. My eyes were riveted to the page and heart started beating faster as I read along even though I actually knew the end.

Great story, well written, and a real lesson in Hashem taking his rightful revenge. Making us believe even stronger that only Emes wins and in the end everything will emerge full circle.
Tzivie
Yerushalaim

(3)
Alan Wainstein,
May 2, 2005 12:00 AM

Excellent Article.

This is an excellent story and a much needed telling about a part of our recent history. I also highly recommend the book 'Eichmann In My Hands' by Peter Malkin, the agent who snatched Eichmann in Argentina. I had the priveledge of hearing Mr. Malkin in person. His story is equally informative.

(2)
Mordechai Bland,
May 2, 2005 12:00 AM

Mitzvah Gedolah

This is an article that the world should read. It speaks to the discipline and respect of the Jews who removed that aberrant creature from our world. While considerable detail is given in the article as to the mechanics of his capture and execution, saliently absent is any statement of joy relative to either his capture or execution. To the great credit of all involved, this whole matter was handled as one of judgment and justice. To thiis day, Nagar expresses no sense of pleasure in the execution, only a sense of having fulfilled a great mitzvah. Yasher Koach, Nagar. You are a better man than I........

(1)
Anonymous,
May 2, 2005 12:00 AM

Compare and Contrast

Compare and contrast the account of how traumatized Mr. Nagar and his fellow guards were over the death of one rasha (wicked person), with the numerous accounts we have been unfortunate enough to have heard of nazis laughing and enjoying doing the same to our innocent relatives, and you will understand the goodness of the Torah and its teachings and of the Jewish neshama (soul) . . .

I live in rural Montana where the Cholov Yisrael milk is difficult to obtain and very expensive. So I drink regular milk. What is your view on this?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Jewish law requires that there be rabbinic supervision during the milking process to ensure that the milk comes from a kosher animal. In the United States, many people rely on the Department of Agriculture's regulations and controls as sufficiently stringent to fulfill the rabbinic requirement for supervision.

Most of the major Kashrut organizations in the United States rely on this as well. You will therefore find many kosher products in America certified with a 'D' next to the kosher symbol. Such products – unless otherwise specified on the label – are not Cholov Yisrael and are assumed kosher based on the DOA's guarantee.

There are many, however, do not rely on this, and will eat only dairy products that are designated as Cholov Yisrael (literally, "Jewish milk"). This is particularly true in large Jewish communities, where Cholov Yisrael is widely available.

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein wrote that under limited conditions, such as an institution which consumes a lot of milk and Cholov Yisrael is generally unavailable or especially expensive, American milk is acceptable, as the government supervision is adequate to prevent non-kosher ingredients from being added.

It should be added that the above only applies to milk itself, which is marketed as pure cow's milk. All other dairy products, such as cheeses and butter, may contain non-kosher ingredients and always require kosher certification. In addition, Rabbi Feinstein's ruling applies only in the United States, where government regulations are considered reliable. In other parts of the world, including Europe, Cholov Yisrael is a requirement.

There are additional esoteric reasons for being stringent regarding Cholov Yisrael, and because of this it is generally advisable to consume only Cholov Yisroel dairy foods.

In 1889, 800 Jews arrived in Buenos Aires, marking the birth of the modern Jewish community in Argentina. These immigrants were fleeing poverty and pogroms in Russia, and moved to Argentina because of its open door policy of immigration. By 1920, more than 150,000 Jews were living in Argentina. Juan Peron's rise to power in 1946 was an ominous sign, as he was a Nazi sympathizer with fascist leanings. Peron halted Jewish immigration to Argentina, introduced mandatory Catholic religious instruction in public schools, and allowed Argentina to become a haven for fleeing Nazis. (In 1960, Israeli agents abducted Adolf Eichmann from a Buenos Aires suburb.) Today, Argentina has the largest Jewish community in Latin America with 250,000, though terror attacks have prompted many young people to emigrate. In 1992, the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires was bombed, killing 32 people. In 1994, the Jewish community headquarters in Buenos Aires was bombed, killing 85 people. The perpetrators have never been apprehended.

Be aware of what situations and behaviors give you pleasure. When you feel excessively sad and cannot change your attitude, make a conscious effort to take some action that might alleviate your sadness.

If you anticipate feeling sad, prepare a list of things that might make you feel better. It could be talking to a specific enthusiastic individual, running, taking a walk in a quiet area, looking at pictures of family, listening to music, or reading inspiring words.

While our attitude is a major factor in sadness, lack of positive external situations and events play an important role in how we feel.

[If a criminal has been executed by hanging] his body may not remain suspended overnight ... because it is an insult to God (Deuteronomy 21:23).

Rashi explains that since man was created in the image of God, anything that disparages man is disparaging God as well.

Chilul Hashem, bringing disgrace to the Divine Name, is one of the greatest sins in the Torah. The opposite of chilul Hashem is kiddush Hashem, sanctifying the Divine Name. While this topic has several dimensions to it, there is a living kiddush Hashem which occurs when a Jew behaves in a manner that merits the respect and admiration of other people, who thereby respect the Torah of Israel.

What is chilul Hashem? One Talmudic author stated, "It is when I buy meat from the butcher and delay paying him" (Yoma 86a). To cause someone to say that a Torah scholar is anything less than scrupulous in meeting his obligations is to cause people to lose respect for the Torah.

Suppose someone offers us a business deal of questionable legality. Is the personal gain worth the possible dishonor that we bring not only upon ourselves, but on our nation? If our personal reputation is ours to handle in whatever way we please, shouldn't we handle the reputation of our nation and the God we represent with maximum care?

Jews have given so much, even their lives, for kiddush Hashem. Can we not forego a few dollars to avoid chilul Hashem?

Today I shall...

be scrupulous in all my transactions and relationships to avoid the possibility of bringing dishonor to my God and people.

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